Alexandria City Public Schools will give “thoughtful consideration and review” in upcoming meetings on Governor Glenn Youngkin’s recent executive order banning cell phones in public schools.
Youngkin issued Executive Order 33 earlier this week, directing the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to create guidance for school systems across the state to “adopt local policies and procedures establishing cell phone-free education.”
There’s 138 days until the Nov. 5 election, and there are just enough candidates running for an uncontested School Board election.
There are two vacancies in this election cycle after School Board Members Abdel Elnoubi and Jacinta Greene won their Democratic nominations for City Council on June 18. Additionally, two Board Members are not running for reelection, former Board Chair Meagan Alderton in District C, and Tammy Ignacio in District B.
Jacinta Greene says that her two three-year terms on the Alexandria School Board have prepared her for City Council.
Greene faces 10 opponents for the six City Council spots in contention for the June 18 primary. She’s running against four incumbent City Council Members, against a fellow School Board Member, two candidates who are running for their second chance at the nomination after losing in 2021, and some newcomers. She’s raised about $50,000 for her campaign, and as of June 5 has about $31,000 in the bank, according to recently released quarterly finance reports.
Teachers and other Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) community members spoke at a School Board meeting last week to express anger and disappointment at restructuring inside school leadership.
Much of the criticism focused on the budget cuts (page 352) to the Teaching, Learning and Leadership team, which saw a net loss of four English Learner (EL) Services positions.
More than 800 Alexandria City High School students walked the stage at today’s graduation at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena.
ACHS executive principal Alexander Duncan III said that the day marked a defining moment in the lives of the 841 graduates.
After two years under construction, city leaders cut the ribbon today on Alexandria City High School’s new Minnie Howard Campus.
The $190 million project for the 343,000-square-foot, five-story satellite campus can hold up to 1,600 students — double the capacity of its 1950’s-era predecessor. The building will be home to six career and technical education academies, which administrators say will allow students to pursue their interests.
Staff raises and market rate adjustments are a few of the proposed highlights after Alexandria City Public Schools got the green light last week by City Council to add $273.03 million to its combined funds budget.
The $14.3 million increase over the current ACPS budget comes at considerable cost to the taxpayer, as last week City Council approved a 2.5-cent tax increase to pay for it and other city services.
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is the biggest winner of a 2.5 cent tax rate increase being considered by City Council, but it still falls short of the budget voted on by the School Board.
The School Board voted earlier this year to request $384.4 million from the City Council — $21 million more than previous budgets and double the budget proposed by Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt. Mayor Justin Wilson previously said that fulfilling that budget request would require an unprecedented 6-cent tax increase.
Alexandria School Board Member Tim Beaty just won his special election in January, and now he tells us that he’s running for reelection in November.
Beaty won a special election on Jan. 9 to fill the District A seat vacated by former School Board Member Willie Bailey. He was sworn in days later, and said he would spend the next several months learning the intricacies of Alexandria City Public Schools before deciding on whether to run for reelection on Nov. 5.
A four-year-old student with autism walked away from Jefferson-Houston Elementary School in Old Town last month and was found barefoot in the middle the street by a school bus driver near the King Street Metro station.
A number of school officials were consequently placed on administrative leave by Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt.
Alexandria City Council candidate Abdel Elnoubi has been making legislative waves recently as a member of the School Board, and says residents should expect the same kind of results if he gets elected.
Elnoubi is one of 11 Democrats running to fill six seats on City Council, including four incumbent Council members running for reelection in the Democratic primary on June 18. The field also includes Jacinta Greene, a fellow School Board Member.
